Street-cleaning machine.



M. B. HUSON.

STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION I ILBD 1111111 7, 1911.

- INVENTOH By M X) a '1 ATTORNEYS a SHEETS-811E121 1.

Patented May 14, 1912.

WITNESSES M. B. HUSONf STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1911.

Patented May 14, 1912.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES COLUMIIA PLANOORAPM :0 WASHINGTON. D- C.

M. B. HUSON.

STREET CLEANING MACHINE.

Patented May 14; 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET? 3.

luvs/1m)? mfiiiavn APPLICATION FILED JUNB'I, 1911.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTHA B. HUSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STREET-CLEANING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTHA B. I-IUsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New, York, have invented a new and Improved Street-Cleaning Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedstreet cleaner, arranged to insure a thorough cleaning of the pavement and gathering of the sweepings in the manner of hand-work, and to prevent dust from rising and scattering during the cleaning operation.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a receptacle for receiving the sweepings, and having its front bottom edge close to the pavement, and doors mounted to swing and to slide up and down on the front of the receptacle, the lower ends of the doors being provided with cleaning members adapted to project the sweepings into the receptacle during the inward swinging movement of the doors, the latter during the outward swinging motion being raised to lift the cleaning members off the pavement.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indioate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the street cleaner showing the doors and cleaning members in operative position; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, parts being shown in section and with the cleaning members in closed lowermost position; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same showing the doors in raised and closed position; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of the street cleaner showing the doors and cleaning members in raised and outermost position; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective View. of part of one of the doors and its cleaning member.

The receptacle A is mounted on or forms part of a vehicle B, preferably in the form Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 7, 1911.

Patented May 14, 1912. Serial No. 631,728.

of a power truck or the like, the receptacle A projecting forwardly and having the front edge A of its rearwardly and upwardly-inclined bottom A normally close to the pavement, as plainly indicated in Fi 4. The rear portion of the receptacle A is provided with an axle B carrying wheels C mounted to travel on the pavement so as to support the receptacle A in proper position. The front end of the receptacle A is open and is adapted to be closed by two doors D, D, having their lower ends in the form of cleaning members, of any approved construction; for instance, as shown in Fig. 1, the cleaning members E arein the form of Squeegees, or in the form of bristles E, as indicated in Fig. 6. The doors D are each provided with a pintle D mounted to turn and to slide vertically in bearings D attached to the sides of the casing A, and springs F are coiled on the pintles D and rest at their lower ends on lugs D attached to the doors D, the upper ends of the springs F abutting against the upper bearings D'-. The springs F serve to press the doors D downward, so that the members E engage the pavement with sufficient force to cause a proper sweeping of the pavement during the inward swinging movement of the doors and cleaning members. The doors D in swinging inward into a closed position are in lowermost position, and during the outward swinging movement the doors are in raised position, so that the members E are a desired distance above the pavement.

In order to raise and lower the doors, the following arrangement is made: On the pivoted edge of each door D is secured a supporting plate G, engaged at its under side by a friction roller I-I journaled at one end of a lever I-I, fulcrumed at H on the corresponding side of the casing A, and the rear end of the lever H is connected by a link H with a second lever H likewise fulcrumed at H on the side of the receptacle A, the rear end of the lever H carrying a friction roller H in engagement with the peripheral face of a cam I secured on the axle B. Now when the street cleaner is pushed forward over the pavement and the an up tacl'e cA to settle therein.

wheels C are rotated, then the cams I impart an up and down swinging motion to the leversfHfl which by'the links H impart and down swinging motion to the levers H,so that the friction rollers H acting onthe under side of the supporting plates, Gr cause an up and down sliding of the doors D.

In order to impart a swinging motion to the doors D in unison with the up and down movement given to the doors by the mechanism just described, use is made of links J pivotally connected with brackets J attached to the inside of the doors D, and the said links J are connected at their rear ends with a rod J mounted to slide longitudinally in suitable bearings J 3 attached to the under side of the top of the receptacle A, as plainly indicated in Fig. 4c. The rod J is pivotally connected by a link K with an arm L fixed to a rock shaft L journaled on the bottom A of the receptacle A at the rear end thereof, the rock shaft having an arm L connected by a link N with a crank O secured on the axle B. Now when the re ceptacle A is pushed forward, the wheels are rotated and then the crank O and link N impart a rocking motion to the rock shaft L which by the link K imparts a longitudinal sliding motion to the rod J so that the links J impart. a swinging motion to the doors D and their brushes E. As both the camsl andthe crank Of are mounted on the axle B, it is evident that both devices manipulating the doors D are actuated in unison in such a manner that when the doors D swing into a'closed position they are in a lowermost position, and after the doors are closed they are lifted into a raised position and then swung outward while in this raised posit-ion, to be finally lowered into active position at the end of the outward movement. It is understood that during the inward or closing movement of the ,doors D, the members'E are in contact with the pavement so that the dirt and other matter; are readily swept inward and over the edge A of the bottom A into the receptacle A, to accumulate therein. As the receptacle is continually moved forward, it is evident that the doors D during their outward movement must be raised off the pavement so as not to disturb the dirt during the opening movement.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the dirt and other sweepings are swept into the receptacle A, and the front end thereof isclosed for the time being, so that any dust arising during the sweeping operation is not liable to rise in the air and scatter over surroundingproperty,but, on the contrary, is passed with the s'weepin'gs into the recep- Having thus described my invention, 1

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

' 1. A street cleaner, comprising a receptacle adapted to be pushed over the pavement and having an open front end, the front edge of the bottom of the receptacle being close to the pavement, doors provided at thelr lower ends wlth cleaning members mounted to swing and to slide up and down on the sides of the receptacle at the front, and means for imparting a swinging motion and an up and down motion to the said doors and cleaning members.

2. A street cleaner, comprising a receptacle adapted to be pushed over the pavement and open atthe front, the front bottom edge of the receptacle being close to the ground, wheels on which the rear portion of the receptacle is supported, doors provided with cleaning members at their lower ends and mounted to swing and to slide up and down on the sides of the receptacle at the front end thereof, cams turning with the said wheels, raising and lowering means controlled by the said cams and connected with the said doors to raise the doors and cleaning members during the outward swinging motion, and to lower the doors and cleaning members to the pavement during the closing movement of the doors and cleaning members, and actuating means controlled by one of the said wheels and connected with the said doors to swing the V ing members, means for imparting a swinging motion to the said doors, and means for imparting an up and down motion to the said doors, both of said means havin'g'connection with the receptacle wheels, the doors during the closing movement being lowered, and raised during the outward movement.

4; Av street cleaner, comprising. a receptacle adapted to be pushed over the pavement and open at the front, the front bottom edge of the receptacle being close to the ground, wheels on which the rear portion of the receptacle is supported, bearings on the sides of the receptacle at the front end thereof, doors having pintles mounted to turn and to slide up and down in the said bearings, cleaning members on the lower ends of the doors, supporting plates on the said doors, cams on the said wheels, leverv pivotally' connected with the said doors and. extending within the receptacle, a rod I inOunted to slide in the receptacle and mm In testimony whereof I havesigned my nected With the said links, a rock shaft name to this specification in the presence of mounted on the receptacle and provided two subscribing witnesses.

With oppositely extending arms, a link con- MARTHA B. HUSON. 5 necting one of said arms With the said rod, W itnesses:

and a crank and link connection between the ROBERT STANDENMAIER, X

other arm and one of the said Wheels. SERAPHINA YODER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

